Adams Tops Rice Lake Labor Day Triple Opener

By Ed Reichert

RICE LAKE, WI (September 2) – Rice Lake Speedway attempted the first triple header weekend in track history over the Labor Day weekend, and night one on Friday was highlighted by Kevin Adams’ 29th feature win of the season in the Modified class. Other winners on Friday included Ben Hillman, Shane Halopka, Cody Kummer and Jason Havel.

Adams benefited from a favorable redraw as he started on the pole for the twenty four car Modified main event, and he quickly moved into the lead over Mike Anderson. Anderson attempted to hang with Adams but he fell several car lengths behind and was soon challenged for second by Mark Gerth. Mark Hessler moved into position behind the top three where he battled with Dave Baxter and Aric Lindberg.

Adams continued to stretch his lead, to the point where he eventually had nearly a straightaway on the field. Gerth continued to pressure Anderson for second while Baxter drove up into the fourth spot as Hessler and Lindberg continued to trade positions.

It appeared that the race might go nonstop until Cory Williams rolled to a halt with only three laps to go, and then ensuring spins on the restart twice postponed the finish. Finally the final three laps were cracked off and Adams drove home for the win with Anderson, Gerth, Baxter and Hessler completing the top five.

A big field of Super Stocks took the green flag for their twenty five lap main event with Jason Forehand and Eric Olson battling for the lead until Forehand was able to secure the top spot. There was a big group of cars running in the lead pack and they jockeyed for position on the track. Ben Hillman moved to the outside line and was able to pick up the pace, as he drove past Olson and then Forehand to take over the lead. Shane Kisling also moved to the high side and was able to move up in the pack, eventually getting along side of Forehand and Olson.

Hillman continued to show the way, as a couple of yellow for minor spins slowed the field. While Hillman continued to lead, Kisling moved on foreward and drove past Olson to take over the second spot. Mike Keller started to become a factor while Scott Lawrence was also gradually moving through the field. Keller was turned around on the back chute with only three laps to go, setting up a sprint to the finish. Hillman continued to hold on to the lead as Olson stepped up the pace and drove past Kisling to secure second while Lawrence and Keller completed the top five.

Kummer continued his hot streak at Rice Lake Speedway, again moving to the high groove to fight his way to the front and win a tightly packed Street Stock feature race. Doug Wojcik and Jimmy Randall battled for the lead early, with Randall eventually securing the top spot. Wojcik tucked in behind Randall and was pursuing him closely with Jay Kesan, Kummer and Adam Soltis all running in a tight pack. Wojcik continued to tailgate Randall with Kesan tight behind Wojcik. Kummer moved to the second lane on the track as he has done often this year, and he gradually worked his way up toward the front. Slowly but surely, lap after lap, he gained ground on the high side, moving past Kesan and then Wojcik and then he pulled up beside Randall. Jimmy slid up coming out of turn four, and Kummer was able to edge ahead of him. Soltis then jumped to the high side and began to follow the patch of Kummer.

Two yellow flags in the last five laps bunched the field, but each time Kummer would hold off the pack on the green, and then move to the high side where he could edge ahead from the field. Soltis made a late rush, but he had to settle for second to Kummer, with Kesan, Randall and Wojcik completing the top five.

A tightly bunched field led to a photo finish in the Midwest Modifieds and the only big crash of the night.

Dusty Brown led lap one of the main event with a gaggle of cars running in close formation. Shane Halopka was able to move to the high side of the track and with a good run off turn four, was able to shoot by Tito Viltz and Brown and move into the lead. Tito was out early with problems as Ryan Viltz raced his way up into second with Cory Crapser and Zach Manley close behind.

Coming down the front chute in very heavy traffic, Mark Turner was turned sideways into the wall where he was hit hard and turned over on his roof with several other cars also involved in the crash. The good news was that Turner was uninjured but his car, along with the cars of Matt Leer and Jake Stai were all heavily damaged.

Halopka continued to lead on the restart with Viltz close behind, Crapser fell back slightly and Manley and Grant Southworth both advanced in the field.

A late yellow set up a four lap sprint to the finish and Viltz turned up the pressure as he looked to the inside of Halopka for the lead. Several times Ryan got to the low side of Halopka but Shane held him off. On the final corner Halopka slid up the track and Viltz made an all out attempt to take over the lead. They raced to the line, with Halopka holding on by about two feet for the win. Southworth continued his charge, recorded a season best third place finish ahead of Manley and Crapser.

The nonstop Pure Stock feature produced a wild three car battle that was settled on the final corner. Jason Havel took the early lead over Bob Thompson and John Erickson who moved into second and third. Havel stretched his lead in the early going, but as Erickson and Thompson battled for the second spot, they gradually began to close in on Havel who continued to lead. Erickson got by Thompson for second as the top three continued to get closer together. The leaders came to the line nearly three wide as they took the white flag. Erickson moved to the high side and had a strong run at Havel, with Thompson diving to the low side. Havel had about a half car length on the other two as they raced into turn three. Thompson gave it a big challenge but he clipped Erickson and both cars spun. Havel continued on unabated and drove on for the win with the field scrambling to miss the spun cars. The race was scored back to the white flag lap, and Thompson was docked as the cause of the spins. Erickson was restored to second, with George Richards, Chad Eastman and Jay Folz completing the top five.

SUMMARY

WISSOTA Modifieds
25 lap Feature – Kevin Adams(Cameron), Mike Anderson(Colfax), Mark Gerth(Menomonie), Dave Baxter(Eau Claire), Mark Hessler(Menomonie), Aric Lindberg(Dallas), Jason Gross(Cushing), Doug Gustafson(Frederic), Tony Bahr(Rice Lake), Paul Brust(Rice Lake), Kent Baxter, Mark Hanson, Jared Loos, Steve Hallquist, Curt Myers, Shaun Kreyer, Scott Hudack, Jesse Glenz, Steve Lavasseur, Buddy Mayala, Denny Trimble, Kevin Rogers, Scott Miller, Cory Williams
10 lap B Feature – Trimble(Devlin ON), Hudack(Ashland), Rogers(Unity), Mayala(Barron), Brian Crapser(Brookfield), Ron Korpi, Randy Belluk, Cody Erickson, Robbie Johnson
10 lap Heat 1 – Lindberg, Hessler, Hallquist(Eau Claire), Lavasseur(River Falls), Kreyer(Hayward), Trimble, Rogers
Heat 2 – Adams, Anderson, Miller(Rice Lake), Myers(Cameron), Loos(Loyal), Johnson, Korpi
Heat 3 – Gerth, D. Baxter, Gross, Brust, Glenz(Cadott), Mayala, Hudack
Heat 4 – Gustafson, K. Baxter(Elk Mound), Hanson(Chippewa Falls), Bahr, Williams(Spring Valley), Crapser, Belluk

WISSOTA Super Stocks
25 lap Feature – Ben Hillman(Menomonie), Eric Olson(Ladysmith), Shane Kisling(Sarona), Scott Lawrence(Superior), Mike Keller(Menomonie), Jason Forehand(Eau Claire), Dan Gullikson(Stacy MN), Cory Tammen(Fargo N.D.), Steve Thomas(Menomonie), Allen Amborn(Rice Lake), Luke Plank, Andy Grymala, Todd Carter, Tim Shackleton, Tad Schoonover, Bart Steffen, Roy Pumula, Cory Karshbaum, Pat Jungerberg, Donnie Talmage, Eric Davis, Wayne Dean, Cody Carlson, Tommy Richards, Jim Harris, Rick Hallquist
10 lap Heat 1 – Richards(Mondovi), Olson, Hillman, Lawrence, Carlson(Superior), Amborn, Grymala, Carter, Shackleton
Heat 2 – Kisling, Forehand, Karshbaum(Chetek), Harris(Menomonie), Schoonover(Eagle River), Talmage, Jungerberg, Davis, Steffen
Heat 3 – Plank(Eau Claire), Keller, Tammen, Gullikson, Dean(Fall Creek), Thomas, Pumula, Hallquist

WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds
20 lap Feature – Shane Halopka(Greenwood), Ryan Viltz(Chetek), Grant Southworth(Bloomer), Zach Manley(Cameron), Cory Crapser(Chippewa Falls), Jake Smith(Eau Claire), Terry Sirek(Rice Lake), Jerry Grasse(Phelps), Jarrett Carter(Lisbon N.D.), Dusty Brown(Rice Lake), Nick Koehler, Joe Chaplin Jr, Travis Anderson, Chuck Lambert, Jeffrey Lein Jr, Josh Olson, Mike Truscott, Tito Viltz, Kerry Halopka, Mark Turner, Jake Stai, Matt Leer, Joe Eckland, Josh Smith
10 lap B Feature – Leer(Bruce), Sirek, Grasse, Olson(Loyal), Don Craig(Thunder Bay ON), Nate Spence
10 lap Heat 1 – Crapser, Brown, Southworth, Truscott(Chippewa Falls), Ja. Smith, Leer, Craig
Heat 2 – R. Viltz, Jo. Smith(Rice Lake), Stai(New Auburn), Lambert(Ft. Frances ON), Eckland(Springbrook), Spence, A.J. Roschen
Heat 3 – S. Halopka, Chaplin Jr(Cameron), K. Halopka(Wheeler), Koehler(Bloomer), Anderson(Colfax), Sirek, Olson
Heat 4 – T. Viltz(Rice Lake), Manley, Turner(Rice Lake), Carter, Lein Jr(Mora MN), Mitch Anderson,

WISSOTA Street Stocks
20 lap Feature – Cody Kummer(Medford), Adam Soltis(Ladysmith), Jay Kesan(Weyerhaeuser), Jimmy Randall(Rice Lake), Doug Wojcik(Ladysmith), Cory Hanson(Black River Falls), Jared Lindner(Greenwood), Mitch Kesan(Weyerhaeuser), Sam Fankhauser(Cameron), Simon Wahlstrom(Rice Lake), Rick Weir, Justin Tammen, Nick Wojcik, Mike Knudtson
10 lap Heat 1 – Randall, Wahlstrom, Kummer, Tammen(Clara City MN), Weir(Mondovi), M. Kesan, Knudtson
Heat 2 – Soltis, J. Kesan, Fankhauser, D. Wojcik, Lindner, Hanson, N. Wojcik

Pure Stocks
15 lap Feature – Jason Havel(Rice Lake), John Erickson(Cameron), George Richards(Mondovi), Chad Eastman(Rice Lake), Jay Folz(Rice Lake), Mike Schnider(Rice Lake), C.J. Wagner(Hayward), Kolby Kiehl(Cameron), Jared Amundson(Barron), Bob Thompson(Cameron), Nick Traynor, Gunnar Watkins
8 lap Heat 1 – Richards, Kiehl, Schnider, Eastman, Traynor(Barron), Wagner
Heat 2 – Havel, Erickson, Folz, Thompson, Amundson, Watkins